


The Inn by the Sea

by TheHomestuckWhovian



Series: Bottles [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Asexual Allura, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-20 12:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9490973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomestuckWhovian/pseuds/TheHomestuckWhovian
Summary: Lance's collection helps him find out a terrible secret.





	1. Chapter 1

Lance's parents owned an inn by the sea.

It wasn't large, but it was cozy and warm, and Lance's room in the attic had a view of the ocean.

Lance, the eldest of three siblings still left at home, got the attic to himself. There was a ladder outside the window in case of a fire, a warm bed, a worn rug, and shelves that featured books and, of course, his collection.

At seventeen years old, he had a colorful collection of eight bottles, each with a peace of paper inside.

When he was five, his uncle, a fisherman, found a green bottle with a red wax seal floating in the sea. He gave it to Lance as a present. Lance, worried that it was meant for someone, went around town asking if it was meant for them. When no one claimed it, he set it on his shelf, content to leave it unopened.

It was the first of his collection. Every year since, save for four, someone in town would find a bottle out in the water and bring it to him.

Lance, a romantic through and through, imagined a woman sending messages to her lost lover, or an adventurer sending letters to whoever was waiting back at home for them. They weren't meant for his eyes in his mind, so he left them sealed and touched them only to dust them.

* * *

Terra was a lovely kingdom, right at the edge of a blue sea and filled with wildflowers every spring. Lance, despite dreaming of adventure, also knew he would always come back to Terra, to this inn his parents owned.

Pidge wanted to leave forever. Hunk didn't want to leave at all.

Pidge had arrived to their fishing town the year before, broke, starving, and dehydrated. His parents gave her a free room and food in return for chores, and she hadn't left.

Lance and Hunk were the only ones she told she was a girl.

Hunk was the fixer of the town. He lived nearby and was known to fix anything for free. People would call him a handyman, but he fixed more than things. If someone was hungry or couldn't afford food, he'd cook for them. If you were sick, he'd get you medicine and make you soup. If you were being given trouble, he used his height to terrify the ones bothering them.

(He didn't get physically violent unless it was necessary. He didn't like to fight, and would avoid them generally, but he knew how to take care of himself if need be.)

If you were having problems that weren't external, he couldn't fix that, but he was there if you needed a hug, a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to talk to.

The trio were close, even if Pidge was new. It was rare to find one without at least one of the others. If Lance was working at the inn, chances were Hunk was there to fix the old stove, or Pidge would be chatting with him as she swept.

Despite their differing opinions on their current home, they all promised to stay in touch, even if Pidge left forever or Lance got his adventure.

It wasn't perfect, especially not for Pidge, but they had each other.

* * *

One day, Lance returned from helping Hunk with some work to find his little sister kneeling on his room floor, picking up pieces of green glass.

Realizing he was there, her eyes filled up with tears and she quickly whispered, "I'm sorry. I just wanted a closer look. I'm sorry."

Lance forced himself to calm down and told her, "Next time, ask, okay? I'll clean this up, okay? Just make sure you haven't hurt yourself."

His sister, relieved, nodded and went around the mess to leave the attic.

It was the very first bottle, Lance realized as he spared a glance to the shelf. He wanted to cry that his favorite memory was destroyed. Instead, he began picking up the pieces.

And got a very good look at the note inside.

* * *

_To Who Ever This May Consurn_

_~~Pleeze~~ ~~Pleese~~ Please help us. Peeple in Pyros are starving. My brother is scared and thinks we might get hurt._

_Please come help us._

_~~Sinsur~~ ~~Sinseer~~ ~~Sinceer~~ From,_

_Keith_

* * *

Lance held the note in his hands.

The glass mess was fixed, though he'd cut his foot open going to show Hunk and Pidge, forcing him to clean it up and bandage his foot. At that point, walking didn't seem a good idea, so he simply sat by his bed, rereading it.

It was in a child's handwriting. The first bottle was from a kid. Not just a kid, a scared kid who was in a dangerous situation, calling for help. And Lance never thought to open the bottles.

All that was left of the bottle, his only keepsake, was the top, the seal still intact. That and the note he kept staring at.

He began grabbing the next bottle, a blue one, and unsealed it, pulling out the note.

* * *

"Lance! Buddy! Are you okay?"

"Lance, we've got chores to do!"

Lance looked up from the last note and hobbled to the trapdoor, opening it.

"Come in."

His friends looked at each other, confused, before climbing into his room.

"Your collection," Pidge immediately noticed. "You opened it. Didn't you say you never would?"

"My sister broke one and I read the note inside. After that...it's terrible guys."

He passed the pile to Hunk and Pidge, who began reading.

By the time they finished, they themselves looked upset.

"How have I never heard about this?" Hunk asked, confused. "Terra is allies with Pyros. Our kingdom should have gone to assist in the war when Pyros was attacked."

"Maybe they didn't know? Pyros has been isolated for...twenty years..."

"How long the notes say Galra has been in control of the country," Lance finished.

"But we are still trading with Pyros," Hunk reminded them. "Someone must have heard about what is going on there."

"It's a cover-up, then," Pidge determined. "The Terra government must be hiding the truth from its citizens."

"Why?"

The three looked at each other and Hunk sighed.

"I'll help, since I know you'll drag me into this anyway."

* * *

Lance knew that Pidge wanted to leave Terra. She had never told him why, but the way Pidge said so easily that it must be a cover up, she clearly had a reason to believe so. That must be one reason why she wanted to leave so badly, held back only by friendship and obligation to Lance's family.

Ever since she had shown up at the inn, she refused to talk about her past. Lance only knew that she was a girl and that Pidge wasn't her real name, things she had told him. Otherwise, she remained an enigma.

She told his younger siblings fairy tales Lance had never heard of. If she was from Terra, it was a distant part.

He wondered if Pidge saw this inn by the sea not as a home, or a safe place, but as a prison, the only thing keeping her from escaping.

His parents would let her leave if she wanted, but she stayed because she didn't want to owe them anything when she left.

* * *

Lance's room became the base of operations for their investigation.

Hunk was their spy. Everyone liked the young man, and he was easy to talk to, so he was in the position to gather the most information.

Pidge had her own ways of getting information, ways Lance didn't know. He sometimes wondered if she had magic powers.

Magic was rare, especially in Terra, but Pidge was possibly not even Terran.

Lance would keep track of the gathered evidence, hidden in a box under his bed. All eight notes and the top of his first bottle were already in there. He also was in charge of intel from gossip and "persuasion" as Pidge called it.

"Basically flirting with people to get info?" Lance clarified, grinning. 

"To a limit. We don't need you getting kicked in the nuts again."

"Yeah, I fucked up that time."

* * *

It was about a month before Lance was required.

He was working in at the bar on the bottom floor of the inn when Pidge approached.

"Girl over there is a visiting ambassador. Work your magic."

Lance winked, causing Pidge to roll her eyes and get back to cleaning tables.

The girl sat at the bar, asking, "I'd like some water please."

She looked on edge, glancing over her shoulder every now and then before looking cautiously at her drink.

"Just water, right?"

"Yep. Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes, fine."

Lance took a deep breath before saying, "So, you're pretty cute."

"I'm also pretty ace," the girl answered simply, still avoiding sipping her drink.

"Shit. Sorry." Lance flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry. This must be making you feel even more uncomfortable."

The girl, surprised, noted, "Thank you for your apology. Most people just raise their eyebrows. Some keep flirting."

"I mean, you already look really uncomfortable. I shouldn't have made it worse." Lance took the glass of water and dumped it, correctly assuming she wouldn't touch it. "I'm Lance."

"...Allura."

The name was familiar, but Lance couldn't place it.

"So, what brings you here, Allura?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss such matters," she answered simply.

Lance nodded, noting, "Got it. We Terrans are used to having information kept from us."

"Really?" Allura asked, interest piqued. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently there was a war in Pyros, our ally, and no one did shit."

He wasn't expecting Allura's response.

"You got a bottle too, didn't you?"

He blinked, before nodding. This Allura girl knew about the bottle messages?

She lowered her voice, saying, "I am from Altea. I have told the Terran government I'm here to discuss a trade agreement, but I'm here to investigate why Terra did not act twenty years ago when Pyros was taken by Galra."

"My friends and I want to figure out the same thing."

Allura thought for a moment, before deciding, "When I return to Altea, I'll send you a letter with all the information I gathered. I ask you to send me anything you or your friends find. Do we have a deal?"

"Of course."

"Good," Allura said, smiling. "Now, so you know where I can get activated carbon?"

"What?"

"Coal dust."

"Coal dust? You'll find that near the mines on the way to the capital. Minor detour, but not too bad."

"Thank you, Lance."

* * *

A few weeks later, a newspaper was delivered to the inn with a headline that chilled Lance to the core.

_Princess Allura dies in Terran capital; Altea demands explanation._

* * *

According to the government, Allura had eaten improperly cooked food and gotten sick from it. Due to lack of exposure to the illness, since she was Altean, it killed her.

Lance would have fallen for it if it weren't for the conversation he had had with her.

Pidge and Hunk also were well aware of how bullshit the story was. While Hunk was concerned about continuing the investigation, Pidge became even determined to find the truth.

Lance wanted to find it too. For Allura's sake, and for Keith's back in Pyros.

* * *

"I'm going to go to the capital," Pidge decided a few days after the news. "I'm going to go find the information we missed."

"It's too dangerous!" Hunk argued. "They killed a princess, Pidge! That's diplomatic suicide and they did it anyway! They won't have an qualms about killing you too!"

Pidge crossed her arms. "Then I won't get caught."

"Pidge is right," Lance decided, earning a squawk of indignation from Hunk. "We aren't going to figure out what's going on here."

He looked at Pidge, who had a smug smile on her face, and added, "But you aren't going alone. I'm coming with you."

Pidge looked about to argue, before thinking a moment and nodding. "That makes sense. Alright. We leave in a week then."

"Are you guys sure about this?" Hunk asked, concern obvious in his voice.

"We can't let the Terran government lie to its citizens," Pidge noted. "And we especially can't after they killed Princess Allura. That kind of injustice can't be ignored."

Lance nodded in agreement.

Hunk sighed, relenting. "I'll get you guys supplies."

* * *

They planned to leave at the end of the week.

Lance started feeling ill three days before they were supposed to leave. He felt like throwing up. He ignored it, just thinking some rest would solve the problem.

Two days before leaving, he passed out while working.

He woke up to his parents talking with the doctor, understanding only, "Poison...accident...just wait," before falling unconscious again.

* * *

Lance was conscious in the loosest sense of the word when Hunk and Pidge visited him, bags slung over their shoulders.

"Lance, we're going," Pidge's voice said. She sounded like Lance was hearing her from underwater.

"I'm going with her," Hunk added. "I know you didn't want Pidge to go alone, and neither did I."

That was just like Hunk. Even if he was scared, he always came through when he was needed.

"It's Katie."

Hunk looked at Pidge, confused.

"My real name...it's Katie," she explained. "If I don't come back, I want you to remember it. Okay, Lance? My name is Katie."

This was definitely a dream. This moment was too heartwarming for Pidge.

Lance mumbled, "Ok."

Pidge smiled, one of the few genuine ones he had ever seen her give.

"Take a note," Lance added suddenly. "Reminder."

Hunk nodded, pulling the box out from under Lance's bed and passing a note to Pidge, who tucked it into her pocket.

"We'll find out the truth," she promised. "I won't come back until we do."

"See ya soon, buddy," Hunk told him, patting him gently on the arm. "Get better."

"Bye, Lance."

They were nearly out the trapdoor when Lance managed to get out a quiet, "Bye."

* * *

Hunk and Pidge never returned to the inn by the sea.

* * *

Lance properly woke up a week after he first passed out from his illness.

His parents waited a couple of days before telling him that Hunk and Pidge disappeared after they visited him, and no one has seen them since.

Lance didn't remember much of their visit. Just Pidge's real name stuck with him. He figured out they took a note when he saw one missing.

He held out hope for their return. They had to come back. They had to.

He waited a month before giving up.

* * *

"Lance, you got a letter from a Romelle!"

Lance, confused, took the envelope from his mother. He didn't recognize the handwriting or the address. And he certainly didn't know a Romelle. Was this a girl he'd flirted with sending a love letter or something? He really wasn't in the mood for a love letter.

He opened it and began to read.

* * *

_Lance,_

_I apologize for the time it took for me to send you a letter, and for the concern you were caused by my alleged death._

_Altea has been taken by Galra. I was drawn into a trap. They attempted to poison me, but I was able to counteract it with activated carbon and Coran, my advisor and friend, arranged for me to be removed._

_The Terran government is involved with Galra, to the level of attempting to kill me once I was perceived as a threat to Galra. They have covered up the situation in Pyros in order to keep anyone outside from offering assistance._

_I was lucky to get out with my life, and now I fear yours is also in danger._

_I send this letter after hearing about your illness from a contact. The symptoms lead me to believe you were poisoned. That indicates someone overheard our conversation and attempted to kill you to insure the information didn't get out._

_While I am glad you were able to survive this attempt to kill you, I recommend you leave Terra for your own safety._

_Enclosed in this envelope is a map to the island where Coran and I are stationed._ _We intend to fight against the Galra any way we can. If you wish to help us, just come to the location and meet us there. Your friends that you mentioned are also welcome to come._

_I wish you luck on your journey, and hope to see you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Allura_

* * *

"This Romelle must be taken with you," his mother noted cheerfully as Lance finished reading. "Is she pretty cute?"

"She's pretty ace," Lance answered absently, remembering the moment he'd first met her. "She's just a friend, Mom."

A friend who had just proven herself to be alive. A friend who gave him the answer to why Terra had been kept in the dark about the situation in Pyros. A friend who planned to fight the injustice caused by Galra.

A friend who just told him he couldn't stay in his home because every moment he spent here, he was in danger.

He knew what he had to do. He hated it, but it was his only option.

He was going to have to leave.

* * *

Lance looked into his little siblings' room, the two sleeping in their beds. He recalled his little sister telling him nonsense tales she had thought up, and his brother begging him for guitar lessons.

He smiled sadly, whispering, "Goodbye."

He closed the door, heading to his parents' room next. He remembered climbing into their beds when he was little after a nightmare. But he couldn't go hide in their beds from what was coming.

He whispered a farewell to them before shutting the door and heading downstairs, past rooms with sleeping guests. His older siblings used to pretend to be ghosts and convince some guests the inn was haunted. Lance had always found that hilarious.

He was out the door and at the shed in moments, grabbing a shotgun his father had taught him how to shoot and slinging it over his shoulder. He remembered his excitement when he managed to hit a target, bragging to his older siblings about being the best shot in the world.

Lance had packed some food and a water pouch, the remaining five notes, the top of the first bottle, and two pictures, one of him with Pidge and Hunk, the other of his family. In his pocket was a compass and the map, his guide to finding the island Allura told him about.

With all the supplies he needed, Lance headed to a sailboat near the in, climbed in, and untied it. It wasn't long before he was out on the water.

He looked back one last time at the inn by the sea, the place he had spent all his life and held all his happiest memories, before turning away.

"I'll come back someday, he decided, his voice hardened with determination. "I promise."


	2. Author's Note

A family emergency has come up. I don't know how long it will be until the next story in this series goes up.

I'm not sure what is going to happen. I'm terrified. I'll let you all know what goes down.

Later.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the introduction of Lance's story arc, and will lead into Hunk and Pidge's.
> 
> Yes, magic is going to be a thing. It's really only going to be major in one character's story.
> 
> Honestly, did any of you think I was really going to kill off Allura?


End file.
